Undergraduate Course Listing

Below is a partial listing of undergraduate Economics courses. Please follow the link to the UWM Schedule of Classes below to find out which classes are currently being offered. For further information, check the UWM Undergraduate Bulletin, Department of Economics for a complete listing of courses offered by the department, course prerequisites and credits, and other pertinent information.

UWM Schedule of Classes

Fall 2008

Summer 2008

Introductory Economics Courses

These courses are offered without a pre-requisite of prior economics courses. Therefore, students have a wide choice of their first best first experience in economics. One restriction, however: Students who have taken either Econ. 103 or 104 may not take Econ. 100 for credit.

Econ. 100:   Introductory Economics. A one semester survey of current national and international economic problems. Useful as preparation for Econ. 103 and 104.

Econ. 103:   Principles of Microeconomics. Economic reasoning; price determination, specialization and efficiency. Applications include, international trade, antitrust, environmental protection, highway congestion.

Econ. 104:   Principles of Macroeconomics. Composition of National Income, interrelationship of sectors; determination of national income and productivity; the relationship between national income, inflation, money and interest rates; the interaction between U.S. and global economies.

Econ. 112:   Economic Education. Methods of introducing economic concepts and principles into the classroom at elementary and secondary levels. A study of cooperative business enterprise is included to meet the statutory requirement in Wisconsin. Open only to education majors.

Econ. 193:   Freshman Seminar. The specific topics are announced in the schedule of classes each time the class is offered. Open to Freshmen only.

Econ. 210:   Economic Statistics. This course introduces students to the basic concepts and tools of probability and statistics. Topics covered include numerical and graphical methods of describing data, elementary probability, random variables and probability distributions, hypothesis testing and simple linear regression.

Econ. 248:   Economics of Discrimination. Use of economic theory to examine the history, current status and policies regarding various minority groups in the United States. Applications include education, housing and jobs.

Economic Theory

Economic Theory is the basic building material for most other fields.

Econ. 301:   Intermediate Microeconomics. Contemporary theory of consumption, production, pricing, resource allocation and distribution.

Econ. 302:   Intermediate Macroeconomics. Analysis of savings, production, investment and other aggregates in the national and international economy as related to the determination of national income, inflation and unemployment.

Econ. 403*:   Business Cycles. Explanation of fluctuations in economic activity; their origin and application; the forecasting of fluctuation; fiscal and monetary stabilization policies.

Econ. 404*:   Economic Applications of Game Theory. Strategic interaction among decision makers. Studies multi-party decision problems of a firm, a government or a country.

Econ. 405*:   Breakthroughs and Debates in Economic Thought. Evolution of economic ideas and contributions from such thinkers as Smith, Ricardo, Marx, Marshall, Keynes, Veblen, etc.

Econ. 506*: Mathematical Economics - I. Mathematical techniques used in economic analysis, including calculus and matrix algebra. Applications include optimizing behavior of firms and consumers.

Econ. 606: Mathematical Economics - II. Difference and differential equations applied to economic variables such as capital, consumption, learning, energy use and pollution. Essential preparation for graduate work.

Quantitative Methods

These courses teach the fundamentals of statistics and econometrics a used to test hypotheses of economic interest. They also present mathematical models which capture and extend the economic theory taught in the required courses.

Econ. 310:   Research Methods for Economics: Statistical research methods, especially cross-section and time-series regression, applied to evaluation of empirical literature and a directed research project. Not for credit for students who have completed Economics 513.

Econ. 411*:   Economic Forecasting Methods. Analysis and forecasts of economic time series. Trends, seasonality, cycles, and smoothing procedures. Simulation models and sample survey methods. Extensive applications using macro and financial data. Use of forecasting software.

Econ. 413:   Mathematical Statistics for Economists. The elements of statistical theory including probability theory; discrete and continuous distributions (univariate and multivariate), central limit theorem, sampling distributions, properties and methods estimations, hypothesis testing.

Econ. 513*:   Econometrics. Multiple regression, generalized least squares, specification analysis, multi-collinearity, multiple equations including simultaneous equations.

The Economics of Public Policy

This module presents the economic issues and prescriptions in a variety of critical public policy areas. Topics include the blight and rejuvenation of inner cities, the movement of industry to the Sunbelt, the soaring cost of medical care, the degrading of our environment, etc.

Econ. 221:   Health Economics. The efficiency of medical care, the economics of health insurance and who is served, the role of government in health markets and alternative models of health care delivery.

Econ. 323:   Urban Economics. Theories of urban growth and structure, the crises of the city, study of housing markets, lending and insurance. The role of government in local economic development.

Econ. 325:   Money and Banking. Study of stocks, bonds, derivatives, and foreign exchange. Analysis of commercial banks, investment banks, brokerages, etc. Domestic and international monetary theory and policy. Risk Insurance, Regulations and Deregulations.

Econ. 328:   Environmental Economics. Evaluating public policy of environmental and natural resources. Regulation of pollution, endangered species, natural resources and other case studies.

Econ. 422*:   Regional Economics. The growth and decline of economic regions, the location decisions of firms, infrastructure issues, intergovernmental relations and influences on regional economic performance.

Econ. 426*:   Public Economics. Government expenditures, sources of revenue, distribution of government financial burdens, budgets, deficits, the power to tax, and provision of public goods.

Econ. 529*:   Applied Microeconomics in the Public Sector. Economic applications to public sector decision-making; Analysis of such problems as pricing of public services, efficiency of intergovernmental grants, and whether to invest in large scale public projects.

Strategy, Law and the Economy

This module presents the crucial connections between the economy and the legal system. Laws influence property rights, the ability to trade and enforce contracts. Specific laws limit mergers, prohibit strategic pricing, and regulate entire industries.

Econ. 231:   Analysis of the American Industries. The performance of key U.S. industries, including education, beer, cars, medicinal drugs, radio, television, sports, steel, food, music recording, and their responses to changing national and international economic conditions.

Econ. 333:   Economics and Law. The economic roles of civil and criminal law through definition and enforcement of property, contract, and civil rights. Applications include breach of contract, compensation for injury, medical malpractice, sexual harassment.

Econ. 335:   Economics of Antitrust Law. Examination of the laws intended to increase competition and of their evolution through landmark cases involving price fixing, mergers toward monopoly, and unfair competition, including IBM, AT&T, and Microsoft.

Econ. 432*:   Industrial Organization. Economic analysis of asymmetric information, barriers to competitive entry, licensing, pricing practices and transactions costs, with application to the markets for insurance, computers, health care, used cars, and food.

Econ. 437*:   Public Utilities and Transportation Economics. The performance and regulation of public utilities including electricity, gas, cable television, the internet and of transportation facilities such as interstate highways, passenger and freight service by air and rail.

International Economic Relations

The world's economies are increasingly linked with the rise of international trade, multinational corporations and intermeshed financial markets. This module provides critical analysis of this trend, those who benefit, those who are left out and the role of public policy.

Econ. 256:   Emerging Markets and Comparative Systems. An economically unified Western Europe, the transition to capitalism in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, economic reforms in China, the growth of Asian economies. A study of institutions and economic policies.

Econ. 351:   Introduction to International Economic Relations. International economics and finance, determinants and structure of international trade, commercial policy, foreign exchange markets and balance of payments.

Econ. 353:   Economic Development. Examination of determinants of growth, modernization, poverty and inequality in developing countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Analysis of development strategies.

Econ. 454*:   International Trade. Why countries trade. Who wins and who loses. Facts about world trade. Political economy of trade. Topics include: balance of payments, the Asian crisis, European union, and American wage dispersion.

Econ. 455*:   International Finance. International monetary system, spot and foreign exchange markets, balance of payments, international adjustment mechanisms, international finance policy, history and institution.

Labor Economics

These courses explore the operation and policy issues arising from the labor market. Topics include the role of unions, policies to alleviate unemployment and poverty, the minimum wage, education and training.

Econ. 341:   Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining. Economic and behavioral theories of bargaining, development of strategies, sources of bargaining power and structure, impact on allocation.

Econ. 415:   Economics of Employment Relations. Theoretical, applied and policy analysis of wage setting, compensation systems, unemployment, local and national labor markets, international trade effects, discrimination, education and unions.

Econ. 447*:   Labor Economics. The economics of unions, the minimum wage, poverty and welfare programs and the influence of international trade on domestic labor markets. Study of labor supply and labor demand.

Econ. 448*:   Economics of Human Resources. The economics of education, training, discrimination, and workplace incentives. Study of hiring, promotion and job search.

Other Courses

This is a listing of courses that are offered infrequently or involve independent research or internship opportunities.

Econ 258: Selected Topics in Economics (subtitled). Focus on special topics not normally discussed in detail in other existing courses. (Requires sophomore standing)

Econ 289: Internship in Economics, Lower Division. Application of basic principles of economics in a business, organizational, educational, political, or other appropriate setting. (Click here for more information.)

Econ 458: Selected Topics in Economics (subtitled). Variable content course designed to focus on special topics not normally discussed in detail in other existing courses. (U/G course, but requires junior standing)

Econ 489: Internship in Economics, Upper Division. Application of basic principles of economics in a business, organizational, educational, political, or other appropriate setting. (Click here for more information.)

Econ 697: Organizational Administration Capstone. Internship, case analysis, or independent study that synthesizes coursework in graded paper. (Requires senior standing and major in organizational administration.

Econ 699*: Independent Work. An independent research project under the direction of a faculty member.

*Course satisfies the Research (Capstone) requirement